Floral rack.



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FLORAL RACK.

11111111111111111111111111 4. 5 1,1 85,525. Patented May 30, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. MORRIS, OF DAYTON, OHIO; LILLIA A. MORRIS ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID WILLIAM H. MORRIS, DECEASED.

FLORAL RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MORRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floral Racks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference-marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in racks or brackets and more specifically to a special form of rack for supporting flowers and floral emblems around a burial casket during funeral services.

The object of the said invention is to provide a neat and suitable rack or bracket a suitable number of which may be arranged around the casket to support the floral designs, etc., free from contact with the body in the casket. The effect is to surround the casket with a continuous inclosure of flowers which, at the same time, does not conceal the body within the casket. In a word, the floral offerings inclose the remains in a wreath as it were and enable them to be viewed. In funeral services much awkwardness and inconvenience is experienced in arranging and disposing of the floral offerings. Owing to the lack of a suitable or appropriate place to put them, they are often placed on tables,

shelves, pianos, or elsewhere, away from the casket, or else they are placed on the remains in the casket. Neither of these is a desirable way of arranging floral offerings on such occasions. The present means provides a more desirable and altogether preferable way of displaying the floral offerings.

Preceding a more detailed description of my improved floral display rack, reference is made to the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved floral bracket; Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the bracket or rack in position on a casket.

In a detailed description of my improvement, the same reference characters indicate the same parts in the drawings and specification.

The casket 11 may be of any of the well known forms of burial caskets from the most lnexpensive to the more costly. The bracket or rack may be arranged on the lid of the casket incase the lid should be hinged. In the drawlngs, I have shown a casket having a removable lid or cover with the bracket supported on one of the sides thereof, it being understood that similar brackets are arranged on the opposite side and at the head and foot of the casket so that the body shall be surrounded by a floral frame. It is essential that the supporting rack shall be of minimum welght, therefore, it consists of relatlvely thin metal bars with suflicient strength only to properly support the flowers, etc. The sald bracket comprises flat end members or bars 11 the ends 66 of which are formed into hooks which delicately engage the lnner side of the casket and extend outwardly. The opposite ends are turned to provide rlght angle portions 1010. Distance bars 22 of a like thin flat character are r1g1dly united to the end bars 11 by means of thumb screws 3, or in any suitable manner. These bars 2-2 have longitudinal slots 5 with binding screws 4 passing therethrough. This manner of connecting the lateral bars 22 provides for a suitable adustment of the rack. For example, when sald rack is not in use, it may be reduced to a narrow compass by loosening the screws 4 and moving the end bars 11 toward each other as far as the lateral bars 22 will permit and then retightening said screws 4. The outer ends of the ends 1010 of the bars 11 have connected to them supporting arms 77 which are adjustable longitudinally with reference to the surface which they engage for example, the outer side of the casket 11 or the outer side of the casket cover, depending upon where the bracket or rack is placed. The arms 77 are provided with longitudinal slots 8through which the thumb screws 9 pass and by means of which said arms 77 are connected to the end bars 11 in a manner permitting of adjustment. The ends of said arms suitably formed to securely engage the side of the casket and owing to such formation of said ends the possibility of marring the surface of the casket is obviated. Moreover, the service for which the device is intended is such that enables the flower-receiving part thereof to be open or to consist of bars, and thus a degree of requisite delicacy of structure is observed.

Having described my invention, I claim.

A collapsible flower rack adapted to be supported wholly upon a burial casket and consisting of end bars each terminating at one end in a downwardly extended pointed hook adapted to extend over the edge of the casket and engage the inner side thereof, straight supporting arms having longitudinal slots in the outer portions thereof, clamping bolts penetrating the outer ends of said end bars and the longitudinal slots in said supporting arms and whereby the inclinations of said end bars relative to the casket are adjusted, said supporting arms having their free ends pointed to engage theouter side of the casket, horizontal bars connecting said end bars and having longitudinal overlapping slots, and clamping bolts penetrat ing said slots whereby the width of the flower rack is adjusted, said horizontal bars being united to the end bars near the outer and inner ends of said end bars whereby an open and comparatively light rack is provided for supporting floral ofi'erings, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. MORRIS.

Witnesses:

R. J. MoGAR'rY, MELLIE GALLowAY. 

